Why Canceled Flights Are Blessings in Disguise

Have you ever had your plans changed because of canceled flights?

Whether the flight is canceled due to mechanical, staffing, issues pertaining to the weather, or an Act of God, you need to know how to respond to the upheaval in your carefully laid plans.

A canceled flight doesn’t have to be perceived as a roadblock; it can give you extra time with loved ones, opportunities to do more sightseeing, or perhaps squeeze in a business meeting that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

More often than not, changes in your travel plans result in something so good you couldn’t have imagined it, provided you have the right attitude and ability to be content in all circumstances. We’ll start with my own story.

My Story Involves a Volcanic Eruption

When a flight is canceled, it’s usually an inconvenience and a setback. That said, sometimes a canceled flight can bring unexpected benefits that you couldn’t have planned better if you tried.

This has happened to me on several occasions, most memorably on a trip to Paris to celebrate our wedding anniversary in 2010. As young parents with three children at the time and entrepreneurs running a growing business, we rarely got the opportunity to travel. This was our first overseas trip together.

My wife and I hopped on a jet to Charles de Gaulle Airport with the intention of spending a week immersed in French culture and cuisine. Our children were at home with my parents when we ventured out from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport for France.

Expecting a tranquil overnight transatlantic flight, we settled into our seats only to experience the most bumpy and turbulent airplane ride we had ever known, discovering upon landing that we had flown over an actively erupting volcano.

The volcanic eruption over Iceland grounded European flights all over the world, resulting in our second honeymoon being extended from one week to two. We could only travel home once the ash clouds dispersed and it was safe to fly again.

The Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, had begun erupting earlier in the year, but its ash plumes didn’t present themselves until April 14th, carrying on for almost a week. Thankfully, there were no human deaths attributed to the volcano’s eruption. However, the widespread covering of ash clouds disrupted air travel in Europe and wreaked economic havoc.

There’s only so much you can squeeze into a week in Paris, but when you have two weeks and a hotel that will accommodate you, it’s amazing what you can experience.

We explored the gems of the Louvre, strolled the winding streets of Montmartre with all its cats and creme glaces, and took in the magnificent palace and grounds of Versailles, but we longed to see more of this wondrous place before we flew home. Our Rick Steves and Frommer’s books were dog-eared and marked up to the hilt with places we wanted to go and things we wanted to do.

The volcanic eruption, though a major inconvenience to many people, proved to be a blessing to us as we enjoyed more time together, and our children got more time to spend with their grandparents, who live about 15 hours away by car. 

We enjoyed other parts of Paris, including a stop in La Défense, Le Bois du Boulogne, and visited more museums, including the Musée d’Orsay, to see paintings by Impressionists, the likes of Monet, Manet, and Degas. 

Having an extra week meant that we got to enjoy simply being in Paris, taking time to relax at popular destinations like Les Deux Magots and in Les Jardins de Luxembourg. Walking over various bridges, including Pont Neuf, and scoping out antiques in Saint Germain was also a highlight.

Exploring Île Saint-Louis was another treat, quite literally, as we sampled some of its famed ice cream at Berthillon, touted by the locals as the best ice cream in the world.

We visited the Rodin Museum and pondered as The Thinker did and went to Hôtel des Invalides, where the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is interred. Another bonus was going on the Bateaux Mouche, something we had not planned to do initially, but we definitely booked seats on it after seeing the fleet of boats going up and down the Seine over the course of our trip.

I’m not the only one who has found unexpected happiness because their flight was canceled. Here are more stories from fellow travelers whose canceled flights were nothing short of a blessing in disguise.

Jen’s Story: Maintenance Issues

Jennifer Pellerito of Jen on the Run helps her clients launch their freelance businesses so they can become digital nomads.

Jen was in Barcelona, heading back home to LAX after her trip, due to fly out of Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN).

She remembers the flight being canceled, most likely due to a maintenance-related issue, indicating, “We were waiting at the gate for over an hour before they finally announced the cancellation.”

What happened next?

“I stayed in the airport while getting rebooked and was eventually placed on a flight with an overnight layover in London,” she writes.

“At first, I was frustrated, but it actually turned into an unexpected mini reset. My travel insurance covered a hotel stay, so instead of scrambling for a last-minute fix, I got a comfortable night’s sleep—something I desperately needed after nonstop travel,” Jen exclaims.

She even treated herself to room service twice (because why not?) and had ‘one of the best nights of rest.’

This detour turned out for the best. Jen remarks, “While I didn’t have time to explore London, it was exactly the kind of break I didn’t know I needed before heading home.”

Shelly’s Story

Shelly Allhands, Managing Director, Communications at Evergreen Communications LLC, was in Dublin, Ireland, heading home to Seattle, WA (SEA). Her flight was scheduled to leave from Dublin Airport (DUB).

Something was wrong with the plane.

Looking back on that trip, Shelly beams, “We had to stay an extra night (I was traveling with my parents, toddler, and husband), so we all hung out in the hotel together and ate complimentary food! It was a rare opportunity to enjoy each other’s company with absolutely nothing to do! Toddlers love hotels, so she had a blast, and we all took in the unexpected family time.”

While having their flight canceled and not getting rebooked for over 24 hours in a foreign country with a toddler in tow wasn’t exactly fun, Shelly reflects on how it ended up being a blessing in disguise for her family.

She recalls, “Thanks to the EU’s rules regarding compensation, we received $620 for each flight ($1800 total), which we could use to book another trip. It felt like we had free flights to Ireland! At the moment, it was challenging, but once we got home and saw the money hit our bank account, it was so worth it.”

European air travel for the Allhands hasn’t always gone as planned. A similar situation happened to Shelly and her husband on their way to Germany. 

Of this trip, Shelly recounts, “We were only going for 3 nights, so when our trip was shortened to two due to flight trouble, we were disappointed (that’s a LONG flight for only 2 nights), but we got the entire amount of our flight back, so we booked another trip for later that year to England and got a great story out of it for how we flew to Germany for the weekend!”

Sebastian’s Story

Sebastian Garrido of Vibe Adventures’ flight out of Boston’s Logan International Airport was canceled before he went on his trip due to poor weather conditions in Massachusetts.

He shares, “I was going to Boston. I was going to meet my cousin there; he lives in Rhode Island, and since it is a 30-minute ride, I flew there because it was cheaper than flying directly to RI. But my first flight was from Mexico City to Houston, where I was going to take my connecting flight to Boston.”

While waiting for the flight to be rescheduled, Sebastian, who was flying solo, bided his time by finishing a book and walking a bit because his flight to Boston from Houston was of a longer duration.

The canceled flight had a beautiful silver lining for Sebastian.

He says, “It was a blessing because my connecting flight was due in 50 minutes when we landed in Houston, so I was freaking out I was going to miss the flight. When it was canceled, I was relieved, and I also did a job search. Back then, I was out of a job, and that trip was transformative.”

Find Refuge in an Airport Lounge

When your flight has been canceled, it can feel like you’re stuck or scrambling, especially when things feel uncertain. One tip in the midst of it all is to find a lounge in the airport where you can take refuge and regroup. 

You’ll have access to food, drinks, restrooms, and places where you can sit down and relax. To find an airport lounge near you when you need it most, visit TravelMint’s search engine and make your way to get started.

Happy Traveling!